Regional educational and anti-bullying experts gathered Thursday night for a roundtable discussion sparked by a documentary exploring the problem of bullying.

The movie "Bully" delves into the lives of students caught up in what some educators are calling a national bullying epidemic. The documentary triggered an intense discussion Thursday in Concord after a special screening at the Red River Theater.

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"It strikes a chord," said Steven Kidder of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. "It's very nice to see that."

Kidder, an anti-bullying activist and Concord High School graduate, joined a panel of experts who talked about the film and bullying. Many who watch the film were drawn to the story of Alex, an Iowa teen who faces constant torment from his peers ad gets very little understanding from school administrators.

"She didn't care at all," Kidder said. "And the fact that there are teachers and faculty out there that feel that way, that needs to change, because if they don't change, it's just going to keep happening."

How to change and how to stop bullying is now a hot topic. Those who have been fighting the battle for years, such as Carol Croteau of Bully Free New Hampshire, said they hope the film can spur more activism.

"Get involved," Croteau said. "Go to your school board meetings. Tell your school boards that you want your schools to be safe."

Malcolm Smith of the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension has studied the phenomenon of bullying for years and said the country is in danger of raising what he calls "the meanest generation."

"What I mean by that is that if we're not careful -- and this movie really exemplifies it -- this epidemic we're seeing of bullying and peer victimization is out of hand," Smith said.

Smith said educational researchers made a tremendous mistake about 30 years ago when they believed that bullying was tied to low self-esteem. In the process of trying to raise the self-esteem of bullies, he said all they did was create bullies with a sense of entitlement.

"It is a self-esteem problem, but not because bullies have low self-esteem," Smith said. "It's because bullies are kids who are almost narcissists. They think they are better than other kids, for the most part."

Experts said the best thing anyone can do to stop bullying is to stand up for the bullied.

"Stand up for the kids that for whatever reason can't find a place in our society," said Trish Lindberg of Plymouth State University.